Using small scraps of fabric and textiles from her own sewing and crafting stash, Tilly uses her sewing machine to applique her designs onto calico, together with a lot of hand stitching and simple embroidery for the more difficult and small pieces of the ‘jigsaw’.

Tilly has lived near the sea for most of her life, and as her father was a cartoonist, caricaturist and artist, these influences are obvious in her rather whimsical and quirky approach to textile art. She finds the whoe process, from drawing the rough layout and design, cutting the fabric pieces, to the final stitch, very therapeutic.

Tilly travels around NZ house and pet sitting and she can take her fabrics and sewing machine with her, setting herself up at a dining room table just about anywhere, or curling up in a comfortable chair to hand stitch, hopefully accompanied by a resident cat or dog. The lifestyle she is lucky to be leading, exploring new beaches, coastal walks and beautiful views along the way, offers her imagination all it needs to create these little Kiwi scenes in fabric.